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Installing iTrail Drivers and Software

The ITrail from SleuthGear is a passive GPS tracker enabling you to map locations and speeds using proprietary software and both Google maps and Google Earth. Unfortunately, the drivers and software currently only supports the Windows OS. Mac and Linux users will have to find another device or use a virtual machine running Windows as an application.

Before you can use your iTrail you’ll need to install Windows drivers and the proprietary software package. Below are the steps that should work under most Windows installations.

1. Install the Drivers – Install the drivers BEFORE plugging the iTrail into the computer, using the CD that shipped with it. Insert the CD and run the “installer.exe” file. When you’re done you should get a message instructing you to plug the iTrail into the USB port. If your computer has multiple USB ports be sure to use the same one each time. The iTrail is not a plug-and-play device so Windows will only remember to look for it on the first port you used.

2. Check Driver Installation for Completion – With the iTrail now plugged in you should see the blue LED light blinking while the red LED light remains constant. Go to your control panel, select “system” then “hardware” then “device manager.” In the device manager you should see “GPS Logger USB Com Port (COMxx)” listed under your COM ports.

3. Install the Software – Once you’ve verified your drivers are installed correctly unplug the iTrail and install the proprietary software from the CD. When the installation is complete, plug the iTrail back into the same USB port and start the program. It should automatically detect the iTrail and attempt to download any available data.

Troubleshooting Your iTrail

If either your drivers or your software are not functioning properly there are a couple of things to check. If none of these solutions work for you contact SleuthGear for further instructions.

1. Turn off Your Firewall – Some Windows firewall programs can be particularly choosy about what devices they allow to access the system. If you turn off your firewall and the iTrail begins working then you simply need to add an exception to your firewall so it allows the iTrail in the future.

2. Check for Driver Conflicts – Once in a while you’ll end up with a driver conflict if you install new devices after the iTrail. You can check driver conflicts by following step 2 from above. If there are any conflicts you should notice a red “X” through the iTrail driver. By backtracking through the devices you installed you can eliminate them one by one until you find the conflict.

3. Try a Different USB Port – In theory the iTrail driver should not care whether your USB ports are version 1 or version 2. In reality, that’s not always the case. If you go through the entire process on one USB port yet can’t get the device to work, try installing it on a different port.